Our time with the patient is important too.

leslie :-D · Mar 7, 2006

yes i've encountered this frequently.

in spite of the perceived rudeness and inconsideration, i still realize that the doctor's job is higher priority, for the patient's sake. it's all about the pts.

leslie

elizabells, BSN, RN · Mar 8, 2006

Oh yeah. I mean, I agree with Leslie for the most part, but there is still NO excuse for walking in, pulling back a curtain (when I had the pt exposed) and beginning to talk OVER me without a greeting. I know I'm "just" a student, but I looked that intern right in the eye and said very calmly and politely "excuse me, doctor, sorry for disturbing you," covered my patient back up and walked out. He was soooooo nice to me for the rest of the day. I probably could have gotten in trouble, but the pt actually mentioned "that rude dr" to my preceptor later in the day. Hee.

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · Mar 8, 2006

I also think that interrupting a patient bath is rude, but never really thought about the many times it happens until now. Hundreds of times I'd be doing something with the patient and a doc walks in and starts asking questions or examining the patient, or even asking something about my other patient (without identifying except room number). It is rude to us and to the patient.

leslie :-D · Mar 8, 2006

again, i totally agreed re: their arrogance, rudeness and insensitivity.

and to protect the dignity of my pts., i've never hesitated to address their rudeness. but at the same time, i've never expected them to wait until i was done with my bath/assessment or whatever i was doing- unless they were on the bedpan. then of course, i would have them wait until my pt was done.

i remember when i was 15 yo, i was in the hospital for 6 months, 4 months in bed. one day i was on the bedpan, curtains pulled when a dr. just walked in and stood there, looking at me totally exposed, no sheet over me and he had a lopsided grin on his face. friggin' pig. i called his name aloud and told him to "get out of here!!!". sigh.... some things you think to be common sense just totally fly over others' heads.

leslie

psalm, RN · Mar 8, 2006

...I have asked the doc to help me "boost a pt" after bedpan use when the doc breezes in.

...another time I said something like, "oh, good, you're here, dr. jones, Mrs. Smith has some questions for you about..........I'll be finished in a minute or two." This gives me time to finish up, and primes the pt. to ask her questions.

lindarn · Mar 8, 2006

I also think that interrupting a patient bath is rude, but never really thought about the many times it happens until now. Hundreds of times I'd be doing something with the patient and a doc walks in and starts asking questions or examining the patient, or even asking something about my other patient (without identifying except room number). It is rude to us and to the patient.

What I have always especially liked, is when I have spent a half an hour changing a dressing, and I now sooner have the last piece of tape in place, when the surgeon walks in, and rips it open because he/she wants to check the surgery site.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Spokane, Washington

Blee O'Myacin, BSN, RN · Mar 8, 2006

"I'm almost done here", or if the patient is having personal care done and undressed, I will say so to whatever pair of feet is under the curtain. "We'll be with you shortly, please leave the curtain closed for the patient's privacy".

I've rarely had a doc *want* to intrude on personal care. Otherwise they may have to hand me things like proshield, preparation H and the like... :lol2:

Blee

thumperRN · Mar 8, 2006

Had a hothead resident bust in a room when I was knee deep in poo first thing one morning. She started firing VERBAL orders at me regarding the pt. and asked me to write them down so she could sign - so I threw her a pair of gloves and said if you scratch my back I'll scratch yours. I was very surprised when she jumped right in and helped clean up the pt. When we got outside the room, she told me she didn't know how we did this job some days. Most of the docs at my hospital are pretty respectful, there are a few though that think their pt's are the only ones on the floor and you should run and jump the minute they need something no matter what you're doing. :angryfire

I SOOO sympathize with you, lindarn, I don't know how many times that has happened to me!! :madface:

DusktilDawn · Mar 8, 2006

What I have always especially liked, is when I have spent a half an hour changing a dressing, and I now sooner have the last piece of tape in place, when the surgeon walks in, and rips it open because he/she wants to check the surgery site.
Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN
Spokane, Washington

Gave one of the residents heck for doing this today. I wouldn't have minded if he had redone the drsg, however he didn't. He stated he didn't have time to redo the drsg, I stated I had no "magic minutes" right now and was also busy.

On the plus side, the previous night another resident asked for my assistance with a drsg change, I had not had a chance to do the drsg at this point and it was something I still would have had to do anyway. It was definately a two person job and his help was much appreciated, I do realize he also wanted to see the wound.

I work at a teaching hospital and there have been times when I've more or less told residents that they need to allow me to do my job when they have been in the way so to speak. Consideration sometimes needs to come from them, it should always have to be from the nurses.

Antikigirl, ASN, RN · Mar 9, 2006

I had a patient that had to have vein grafts taken from her right leg...then they went bad due to infection, so the left leg was used. AGAIN, horrid infection in the left leg ensued and so they were talking about taking grafts from the axillary. This poor patient was at the hospital for 3 weeks already, and was getting rather ticked...go figure! People labled her as a trouble maker...

That was my first patient in hospital after graduating from RN school and getting my license!

I gave her lots of time to complain her thoughts and feelings, treated her quite well, and when I had to do her sterile dressings (took over 45 minutes for both legs which were horrible!!!!) I taught her what I was doing, taught her about sterile technique and told her if she felt that someone didn't do it with sterile techniques to let me or my charge nurse know.

It was then that she told me that the docs always came in...lifted dressing...let it dangle for a while..then slap it back on. She came to the realization as did I that...well that could have very well caused the infection (not the only reason but a pretty fair assessment!).

One day I was working in the next room when I heard her yelling at an intern for opening the dressings I had just spent 50 minutes doing and slapping them back on her with no care to infection control or sterile technique "which you DOCTORS ordered in the first place!!!". Boy oh boy...good job patient! LOL!

From that point all docs and nurses made sure darn sure that unless they planned on redoing that dressing in the purest form of sterile technique...it is best to wait till it was to be changed to assess it! LOL!

Thank goodness my patient handled that...I could just imagine the lecture/chew out I would have gotten if I had said what she said (which I very well would have said word for word if I had been there! LOL!)....

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Mar 9, 2006

Last summer, we had a resident that always forgot how many nylon stitches he'd put on an incision, and would rip the applied-less-than-10-seconds-ago dressing to count them, then just leave the site open, till "SOMEONE" covered it. (he was a little arrogant anyway, that was just icing on the cake). He did that to several nurses, and then i got to work with him and he did that to me. Almost.

I had 2 more sterile 4 x 4's in my hand, which i laid over an incision to protect it, while i got another box of 4 x 4's and the resident's gloves, plopped them on top of the chart he was writing in and said "Your momma don't work here." He thought i was kidding till he looked up at me, and saw i wasn't going to back down. And yes he did redo the dressing, using sterile technique.

The surgeon said, laughing "told you not to **** the nurses off, they won't stand for it."